title: Exploring the influence of income and geography on access to services for older adults in British Columbia: a multivariate analysis using the Canadian Community Health Survey (Cycle 3.1).
abstract: Existing research on the health care utilization patterns of older Canadians suggests that income does not usually restrict an individual's access to care. However, the role that income plays in influencing access to health services by older adults living in rural areas is relatively unknown. This article examines the relationship between income and health service utilization among older adults in rural and urban areas of British Columbia. Data were drawn from Statistics Canada's Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 3.1. Multivariate regression techniques were employed to examine the influence of relative income on accessibility for 3,424 persons aged 65 and over. Results suggest that (1) relative income does not influence access to health care services; and (2) this is true for both urban and rural older adults. The most important and consistent predictors of access in all cases were those that measured health care need.
authors.affiliation: Centre on Aging, University of Victoria.
authors.forename: Diane E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Allan
authors.affiliation: Centre on Aging, University of Victoria.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Funk
authors.affiliation: Health Studies, University of British Columbia Okanagan.
authors.forename: R Colin
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: Centre on Aging and Department of Geography, University of Victoria.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cloutier-Fisher
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014505:Urban Population